Catch a Rainbow
by finalwish
Summary: [previously titled Crystal Dreams of Destiny][Questshipping, on hiatus... considering rewriting] And so, we agreed to climb the tower. For what? She wanted to see the rainbow . . .
1. Prologue

**Crystal Dreams of Destiny**

Hi everyone! Consider this the rewritten version of Pokemon GSC: League of Legends. Except, with different characters and new personalities! This has been changed to a **Questshipping **fanfic, not Mangaquestshipping anymore. The reason for this is that even though I haven't seen the special, I can sort of see what Kenta and Marina's personalities are. But since this is my story, what I see of them will become their personalities, so please don't, in all of your reviews, say, "Kenta and Marina are both really OOC." Okay?

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any characters related to it. I own my original ideas, though.**

* * *

The polished center of a shiny mirror gleamed as sunlight shone on it through a window. Spotless silver which glistened as bright as the morning light made up the frame of the large, life-sized mirror. Sparkling glass cast a glare upon the wall vertical to it, and the clear image of a young girl could be made out. 

The girl had glossy, bright blue pigtails which ended above her shoulders and a small white cap just behind the top of her head. Her watery blue eyes and cheerful smile stayed still upon her face. She wore a white coat with a single pink stripe on either side. It went just below her bent elbows. A magenta colored shirt could be seen underneath her jacket, and her black and purple shorts ended above her knees. A white PokeGear hung around her neck.

This was Marina Conera, an 11-year-old girl from New Bark Town whose dream was to become a well-known idol trainer. She had held on to that dream since she saw Lance, the famous idol Dragon Master on television when she was six years old. Since then, her own idol had become Lance, and she also hoped to meet him someday.

But she went a little overboard at times. She made and kept her own scrapbook of pictures of Lance in different poses. Some people thought she was _in love_ with the Dragon Master, but she denied it, claiming that he was simply her idol. She just hoped to be like him someday.

The girl smiled and gazed at her reflection in the mirror. She was wearing her new journey clothes, ones that were made especially to resist the hardships of a Pokemon journey. They had been given to her for her eleventh birthday, which wasn't too long ago, and Marina had waited for what seemed to be a long time to wear them.

She walked quietly over to her bed and picked up her new pink knapsack. She observed it carefully to make sure everything was in place, and there weren't any rips or tears. Everything had to be perfect or nearly perfect at the start of a Pokemon journey, as her father had stated. Marina wanted everything to be perfect, as a quest to become an idol trainer was going to be tough. But she knew that it would be even tougher if her knapsack tore and her belongings spilled out.

Finding no major flaws, Marina grinned and slung her knapsack over her right shoulder. She took one last look at herself in the mirror and opened her bedroom door, which creaked in response.

* * *

A young boy at the age of twelve munched quietly on his toast and eggs. He wore a red sweatshirt with a white hood and white pockets on his torso with red and black patterned shorts to match. A yellow and black cap turned backwards rested on top of his head, and a lock of black hair stuck out from underneath it. A black device was around his left wrist like a watch. 

The boy's eyebrows were furrowed into deep thought, and his head rested on his hand. He ate his breakfast slowly, for his mind kept wandering off to the exciting adventure that awaited him.

"Kenta, dear," a woman said from behind. Her straight black hair rested on her shoulders, and a joyful smile was planted on her face. She had on a purple long-sleeved shirt with the sleeves rolled up and blue capris on her legs. A white apron hung loosely around her neck and was tied into a bow at the back of her waist.

"Eat quickly," the woman, who happened to be Kenta's mother, said hastily. She picked up a dish from the sink and started scrubbing it with a damp towel. "All the other young trainers will have claimed all of Professor Elm's Pokemon if you don't hurry."

Kenta shrugged and finished the last of his toast. He gulped down his milk and wiped his mouth with a napkin by his plate. Getting up, he observed the black device on his wrist and approached his mother.

"What the heck did you guys get me?" he asked with a puzzled look on his face. He raised an eyebrow. "For a birthday present, that is."

Mrs. Savin smiled and laughed. "Oh, Kenta, how could you not know?" she giggled. "This is a PokeGear. It's the latest fashion, you know. Instead of carrying around a map and radio, you can now get "cards" which let your PokeGear do both those things. It's very convenient, and most of the card locations aren't very far away. It also saves quite a bit of pack space."

Her eyes lit up. "Which reminds me…" She walked hastily away, leaving Kenta even more confused than ever.

He rolled his eyes. _Whatever, _he thought. _I need to get to Elm's lab anyways._

He looked around to make sure everything was in its proper place and attempted to set out. But then he realized that something was missing.

He looked frantically around until the thought came to him.

His _knapsack._

"Mom!" Kenta yelled, throwing up a pile of papers. "Where'd you put my knapsack?!"

There was a moment of silence. The ruffled papers fell silently to the floor.

Suddenly, Mrs. Savin came rushing down the hall and into the kitchen. She was holding a pale gray backpack with many pockets and a red Poke Ball pattern on one of them.

After heaving a sigh of relief, she handed the backpack to Kenta, who took it graciously. "I'm sorry, honey," she said apologetically. "I completely forgot about your knapsack."

She looked at Kenta, who was wearing his new knapsack and a determined look on his face. She smiled.

"Oh, and your PokeGear," she reminded him. "Do you know how to use it?"

Kenta glanced at his PokeGear, and then nodded. "Yep," he replied. "I know."

Mrs. Savin beamed. "Good," she said, relieved. I already put our house number in there, so if you need anything, just give me a call."

Kenta nodded in slight annoyance at his mother's continuous worrying. "Don't worry, Mom," he assured. "I'll be fine. And don't forget, I'll be getting a Pokemon too."

Signs of anxiety still showed in Mrs. Savin's eyes. "Be careful, then," she warned. "The world of Pokemon is far more dangerous than you think."

Kenta shrugged. "I'll be fine, Mom," he said, peeved. "I need to get going now." He hugged his mother quickly and opened up the front door to the fresh air outside.

Mrs. Savin's lip quivered. Her hands trembled, and she closed her eyes. "Be careful, Kenta…" she whispered.

* * *

Marina squinted and turned her head away from the strong wind in front of her. She held her hand over her eyes and looked up at the cloudy, gray sky. In confusion, she stopped walking to think. 

_Hm, it had been sunny just a few minutes ago, _Marina thought, puzzled at the strange weather. _What happened? How am I supposed to begin my journey in this weather? _She shook her head.

A faint beam of sunlight managed to slither its way through the thick clouds to shine into Marina's eyes. Surprised and curious, she squinted harder.

Marina could make out the faint image of a Pokemon with a flowing mane, long streamers for tails, and glowing blue eyes with the sun in her face. She couldn't quite make out the color though, as the clouds darkened the sky, and even the faint beam of sunlight couldn't complete the image.

A roll of thunder followed the sighting of the mysterious Pokemon, and in an instant, it had disappeared. Rain began to fall, and soon, it began to pour, drenching Marina's coat and hair. Despite being uncomfortable, she looked around in hopes of seeing the Pokemon again, but the rain made her vision foggy, and she found no trace of the creature anywhere.

Marina sighed, and disappointedly attempted to make her way to the Elm Pokemon Lab, when a flash of lightning crossed her eyes. It gave her no time to react, and before she could even scream, it narrowly missed her neck and struck her hand, sending a surge of pain to the rest of her body.

Marina winced painfully, squinting at the area the lightning bolt had hit. A deep, straight gash was now on the back of her hand, gushing with blood. The girl weakly tried wiping the blood away with her coat sleeve, but it only soaked in, and more came rushing out.

Marina almost panicked, when she spotted the Elm Pokemon Lab in front of her. The building half calmed her, and half worried her over how anxious Elm would be over her injury.

Not wasting a second, and desperate for a cure of some sort, she ran as fast as she could towards the wide building ahead of her.

* * *

Kenta crossed his arms and waited impatiently for Professor Elm to get the starter Pokemon's Poke Balls ready. The young, brown-haired man was working furiously in deep concentration to polish the three Poke Balls to their highest extents. He was bent down over the dusty gray table, scrubbing the balls with a gray, almost black in some spots, cloth. 

Kenta rolled his eyes, for to him, the Poke Balls were already as shiny as they would ever be. He tried to keep his mind off the professor and the starter Pokemon, but he was too excited to let his mind wander.

"Um, Professor," Kenta asked impatiently. "Are you done cleaning the balls? You know, we can clean them ourselves." As an example, he pulled out a clean, white cloth from his knapsack.

Professor Elm shrugged. "Keeping Poke Balls clean also helps keep the Pokemon inside happy," he explained, his glasses slipping further down the bridge of his nose. "To become a good Pokemon Trainer, it's essential to get off to a happy and fresh start."

His eyes darted to the window of the Pokemon Lab. "Looks like you won't be getting very far today," he murmured, observing the pouring rain outside. He looked up in thought. "It was sunny a few hours ago. I don't know what happened."

Kenta shrugged. "Raining or not, I still plan to make it to Cherrygrove City today," he said confidently. "After all, I need to sign up to compete in the Johto League."

Before Elm could reply, the door of the lab swung upon to reveal a soaking wet Marina. Her white mini-coat was dripping, and the rest of her body and clothes were too. Her formerly bouncy pigtails were now drenched and hung down like a withered flower.

She gave a weak smile at Elm and Kenta. Their mouths both dropped open at the same time.

"What happened to you?" they asked in unison.

Marina shook her head. A puddle of water had formed beneath her. "I was out when it started raining…" she croaked, trying to sound cheerful. "But Kenta…I saw the most amazing thing…"

Her coat sleeve was over her left hand, and it was soaked with blood. Kenta gasped, and rushed to the young girl's side, desperate to know what had happened to her.

"What's up with all that blood?" he demanded. He lifted Marina's blood-stained sleeve to reveal a deep gash of which blood was rushing out of.

Marina winced in pain as Kenta tried touching her cut. "DON'T!" she screamed, pulling her hand away. Kenta looked puzzled, and Elm hurried over to inspect Marina's gash.

He tilted his glasses and gently took her hand. Some of the blood left by the wound had dried up around the cut itself, and more was coming out.

"You can tell about what happened later," Elm said, directing Marina over to the sink. "Go wash that and dry it clean. We don't want any infections."

Marina nodded and headed over to clean her wound. Kenta's eyes followed her, and he wondered what had happened to her to get such a bad cut.

"Professor," he whispered to Elm. "Do you have any idea what happened to Marina? That cut doesn't seem like any ordinary one to me."

Elm bit his lip and watched the soaked trainer nervously. "I don't know," he admitted in a soft voice. "I'm sure she'll tell us later."

Kenta's face still had an unsure look about it, but he nodded and waited patiently for Marina to finish.

* * *

"…And then…" Marina's voice grew softer. Kenta's bent down impatiently in preparations for the exciting part of the story of Marina's wound. 

"What?" Kenta asked impatiently. "Tell us!"

Marina frowned. "That's the bad part though. You sure you want to hear it?" She eyed them hopefully.

"Of course we do!" Elm exclaimed. "Please, go on!"

Marina hesitated. "Hmmm…okay then," she agreed. "And then…I saw a lightning bolt right before my eyes!" She giggled as Kenta and Elm's eyes grew wide.

"The lightning bolt narrowly missed my neck," she said. She turned her neck sideways to show the small cut the bolt had left behind. "But…" her voice trailed off. "It hit my hand instead. So either way, I would've been hit. That's where my huge gash came from."

"Obviously…" Kenta murmured. He tilted his head to face Marina. "Are you okay?"

Marina grinned and nodded. "Of course I am!" she cried, standing up. "See? My wounds are healing, and my clothes are dry!" She giggled again excitedly.

"Yep…" Kenta muttered under his breath. "The rain didn't dampen her spirits one bit…"

Elm looked at Kenta in confusion. "Did you say something, Kenta?" he asked.

"Huh?" Kenta looked up. "Oh…um, nothing! Really! I was just doing a little thinking on my own, that's all!"

Elm eyed him suspiciously, and Kenta sweatdropped in embarrassment. "If you say so," Elm replied doubtfully.

"Oh, right!" Marina squealed from the other side of the room. "Professor Elm, when are we going to get our starter Pokemon?" She ran by his side excitedly.

Kenta's eyes widened. He had almost forgotten about his starter Pokemon when Marina appeared with her wound.

"Yeah, Professor," he added excitedly. "When will you give us our starters? Can we get them now?" He tapped his foot impatiently.

Elm tilted his chin thoughtfully. "Hmmm…I suppose right now wouldn't be a bad time," he agreed. He got up and proceeded to walk into the main room of the lab. "Come, Kenta and Marina," he motioned, opening the door. "Follow me."

Kenta and Marina nodded and followed the Professor to the main room. Three shimmering, polished Poke Balls sat on the gray table behind the numerous columns of bookshelves. Marina's eyes were filled with awe as she approached.

"I have three starter Pokemon which you can choose from," Elm explained. "Don't pick by how rare they are, because they all share the same rarity." He picked up the first Poke Ball. "This is Cyndaquil, the Fire Pokemon," he said, releasing the Pokemon. A cute mouse-like creature popped out. It had a yellow body with a dark blue back and red spots.

_"Cynda!" _Cyndaquil squeaked. It looked at the two trainers curiously. Kenta's eyes widened in awe. Marina, however, remained uninterested and motioned for Elm to move on.

"Now this is my personal favorite, Totodile, the Water Pokemon," he said excitedly, gently throwing the Poke Ball. A small alligator-like Pokemon appeared in a flash of white light. It was blue all over except for a thick red stripe near its legs, and red spikes on its back. Two big, dark eyes looked at Kenta and Marina cheerfully.

_"Toto!" _Totodile cried excitedly.

Kenta frowned at the Pokemon, and his attention focused on the Cyndaquil from before. Marina remained with a neutral look on herface.

Elm frowned. He was surprised that no one was interested in Totodile, and seemingly disappointed.

"Well, then…" he heaved a deep sigh. "Here's the last choice, Chikorita, the Grass Pokemon." He tossed last, shiny Poke Ball. Marina and Kenta were greeted with a small cry from the Pokemon.

_"Chika!" _Chikorita chirped softly. It looked around at the people around it shyly. Marina took a look at it closely.

Its eyes were big with red irises, and it had a dark green leaf growing from the top of its head. Its body was light green, and a ring of green balls ran around its neck. Marina thought it looked quite cute.

"So…" Elm began slowly. "It is time to pick your starter. Kenta, you can go first."

Kenta grinned as he approached the three Pokemon. He already knew which one he wanted. "Cyndaquil!" he blurted out, picking up the Pokemon. The mouse squirmed in his arms.

Marina heaved a sigh of relief at her choice not being taken by Kenta. Elm handed the gleaming Poke Ball to the young trainer.

"For Cyndaquil," he said quietly. Kenta took the Poke Ball eagerly and tucked it into his pocket. He continued to admire his new Pokemon.

Elm turned to Marina. "Marina, you can choose now," he said, with a bit of hope rising in his voice.

Marina smiled and immediately picked up Chikorita. She hugged it close, while Elm hung his head in disappointment.

Without a word, he handed the girl a new Poke Ball for her Chikorita. She willingly accepted, and put the ball into her knapsack. She hugged Chikorita closer, making the Pokemon almost gasp for air.

Elm watched the two trainers hug their new starters and completely forget about him. He sweatdropped and approached the two trainers' knapsacks. He quietly tucked in six empty Poke Balls into each of them for Pokemon capture.

With a sigh, he patiently waited for Kenta and Marina to recall their Pokemon and leave for Cherrygrove City.

* * *

This took me a pretty long time to write up the prologue...huh, I kind of got lazy towards the end. I know this was dialogue-crammed, but...it's the first chapter, starters, yeah, whatever...so please R&R! Flames will be used to burn up my homework. XD 


	2. In a Flash

**Crystal Dreams of Destiny  
In a Flash**

I have two words to say: I'M SORRY! I'm really, truly, SO sorry that I haven't updated in FOREVER! I'm getting into the writer's frenzy again, so expect some updates for other fics . . . Anyway, enjoy the chapter!

* * *

The mysterious and sudden thunderstorm continued to rage throughout New Bark Town. Rain poured from the clouds to the ground below, creating large puddles and drenching flowers. Lightning flashed and thunder boomed, threatening to destroy all of what the small town had. The sea east of the town leading to the Tohjo Falls was on a rampage. Waves crashed onto the shoreline, washing up many water Pokemon onto the sand. Trees wobbled in the strong wind and a few even toppled over, narrowly missing some houses. 

The town's residents had all fled for shelter inside their homes, in fear of being struck by lightning or being the victim of a fallen tree. Children were running around helplessly while fathers and mothers were frantically searching for their kids. Elders prayed to the legendary Pokemon to stop the terrifying storm which was making a mess of the once peaceful town.

In the shadows surrounding the famous Elm Pokemon Lab was a young boy, carefully hidden. He had long red hair, a black sweatshirt, and gray sweatpants. Two sturdy black boots were on his feet, and his arms were crossed in an arrogant manner. A serious frown was on his face and his eyebrows were furrowed into a glare.

The boy, named Kamon, was silently observing what was going inside the Elm Pokemon Lab with the help of the side window. Professor Elm himself looked nervously at two trainers who were hugging their Pokemon. One of them was a boy with black hair and the other was a girl with blue pigtails. The boy was smiling and embracing a Cyndaquil and the girl was cuddling a Chikorita. Kamon recognized the Pokemon right away as the Johto League starter Pokemon given to trainers by Professor Elm.

The young boy smirked as a devious plan came to his mind.

_Look at that shiny Poke Ball that's sitting there as plain as day on that table! _He thought to himself, eyeing the dusty gray table where one lone Poke Ball sat. _So the boy picked Cyndaquil, the girl chose Chikorita . . . That one must be Totodile then! _He grinned, seeing that his favorite Pokemon hadn't been claimed already. _Perfect! Now, if I can just get in there . . ._

He frowned, seeing that people would recognize him right away if he went into the lab properly and asked to take Totodile. "No, that won't work . . ." he muttered to himself. "Humph, I'll just have to go and snag it . . ."

He eyed the two trainers inside the lab. They seemed to have recalled their Pokemon and were putting on their knapsacks. Another researcher handed them each some Poke Balls, and the two of them waved goodbye to the Professor and his assistant. Kamon heard a door creaking open, and he quickly returned to his hiding place deeper into the corner and waited until they passed.

The two young trainers walked right by him, one with his hands in his pockets in frustration, the other skipping merrily beside him. _How pathetic . . . _Kamon thought, looking at Marina in disgust. _That idiot with the blue pigtails is acting like this thunderstorm is just a passing shower or something . . . It's like she's oblivious to the weather. If I had a Hitmonchan, I'd have it knock some sense into that brain of hers . . ._

Kamon smiled as the two passed him without even a hint of suspicion. He turned his attention back to watching the Elm Pokemon Lab, where Professor Elm and his assistant were busily working on research. He grasped a nearby pole and pulled himself up to the windowsill. He stood up and pressed his back to the hard, brick wall. Placing a foot behind the ledge and being careful not to be seen, he prepared to strike. "This is it . . ." he whispered to himself with a smirk.

* * *

Marina walked cheerily down the path to Route 29, even though there was a thunderstorm raging. As she loved to do, she began happily talking with Kenta, who rolled his eyes. 

"Hey, Kenta! Wouldn't it be cool if we made it to Cherrygrove City today?" she asked excitedly. "That would probably be a blessing from Ho-oh if we did!" She smiled happily at the thought. Lightning flashed and thunder roared as she spoke.

Kenta shrugged. "What do you mean, "we"?" he muttered. "We're going to journey separately. And I _plan _to make it to Cherrygrove City today." He glanced at Marina, who was still daydreaming about Cherrygrove City. "I'm not really sure about you, though." He pulled his cap further over his eyes to protect them from the pouring rain.

Marina turned to Kenta with big, dreamy eyes. "I wonder what the city will be like?" she said vaguely. "Why is it called Cherrygrove City? Is the town famous for cherries?" She looked at him curiously. "Kenta, have you ever thought about these things?" She closed her eyes and her smile turned into a frown. "And WHY the heck is our town is named after tree bark?"

Kenta rolled his eyes. _Mood swings . . . Marina's getting mood swings, _he thought to himself. _Does this go with all girls? _

"Er . . . I'm not sure. Maybe a big tree inspired the mayor to build a town," he replied sarcastically. "Why don't you go ask him?" He hoped to get Marina off track so that he could get ahead of her in their Pokemon quests.

Marina shrugged. "Ah, it's okay," she assured and winked, making Kenta scowl. "I'm not that curious anyways. I just want to catch some really cute Pokemon!" She smiled and clasped her hands together eagerly.

Kenta grumbled silently to himself. _Marina's not quite as air-headed as I imagined . . . _he thought. _Maybe there's really intelligence underneath that bubbly personality of hers? _He shook his head at the thought of the bright-eyed trainer being intelligent. Even though he had known her most of his life, she would rarely show even the tiniest sliver of cleverness.

Marina raised an eyebrow at Kenta's angry face. "Something the matter, Kenta?" she asked suspiciously. "You look like something's bugging you."

Her words didn't get to Kenta's ears. He murmured quietly to himself under his breath. "Marina . . . Intelligent? No way! She's too cheerful and obvious . . . Not the type . . ." He sighed and shook his head.

Marina looked at the dark-haired boy questioningly. "Hey, Kenta?" she asked, tapping him on the shoulder. "Um . . . Are you okay? Is something wrong?" Her puzzled look turned into anxiety.

Kenta jerked his head up to see the other trainer. He laughed nervously. "Oh! Er…nothing, really," he said, his face turning red. "I was just saying that . . . Well, I could race you there to Cherrygrove City!" He bit his lip and mentally slapped himself for creating such an obvious cover-up. "So . . . Ready, set, go!" He ran off as fast as his legs could carry him, his face as red as a beet.

Marina looked confused and shrugged. "Uh . . . Okay then!" she called, running after him. Her blue pigtails bounced as she ran with her hands over her head in protection to the rain and lightning. "You know, we shouldn't be out in this thunderstorm anyway!" Lightning flashed above her and again, narrowly missed her neck. The girl's eyes widened when she saw the streak of bright orange and immediately darted towards her right to avoid the bolt of lightning.

Marina shook her head rapidly and ran forward as fast as she could muster. Her face burned with anger as she sprinted forward to catch up with Kenta. The rain poured down on her clothes and soaked her from head to toe. Flames of fury sprang up in her mind towards the older trainer. _Why did I even bother to go along with his stupid plan anyway? _She thought angrily to herself. _That overconfident dimwit . . ._

Her anger was about to explode when a thought hit her mind. _Wait…didn't Kenta say that **he**, not **we **wanted to head for Cherrygrove City today? **Him**, not I . . . _Marina felt her face still burning, not from anger, but from embarrassment. It was her own fault that she had decided to go along with Kenta, and she mentally slapped herself for her stupidity.

Marina cringed as the rain battered even harder on her body. She dashed forward in a desperate attempt to catch up with Kenta. She wondered where the dark-haired trainer could be. _Where the heck is he now! _She thought in frustration. _He probably isn't even bothering to come find me; at least not that I know of . . . _The young trainer gritted her teeth and made a run forward.

* * *

Kenta ran at a steady pace down the curvy dirt path of Route 29. The hood of his sweatshirt was up covering his head, and his hands were in his pockets. Even with the little protection his clothing offered, he was soaked in most parts of his body. The boy's legs were also wet, and the water was seeping its way into his socks. 

"How far is Cherrygrove City from here anyway?" he murmured to himself, the rain pouring down onto him. He gazed at a nearby group of Ledyba, huddled together in the leaves of a large oak tree. The leaves didn't provide the Pokemon with much protection, and some of the branches had snapped off with the weight of the heavy rain and the small ladybugs.

He sighed. _Running in the rain isn't fun, _he thought. _And what about that wound Marina got from the lightning bolt? Wouldn't want to get hit by one of those . . ._

Kenta tried shaking the water off of his hood. It was now soaked. He squinted to look for signs of Cherrygrove City through the rain.

Marina had finally caught up to her companion. She pulled the hood of his sweatshirt off of his head and stopped him in his tracks.

"Ouch! What the heck!" Kenta cried, twirling around to face the cyan-haired girl. He cast a glare at her.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded, reclaiming his hood. "Trying to slow me down!"

Marina cocked her head and looked at him innocently. "I was just trying to catch up with you, that's all!" she told him with another smile.

Kenta didn't buy the excuse. He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right. Then why'd you stop me?"

Marina giggled. "So I could get ahead of you!"

"Liar." The dark-haired boy began jogging again.

Marina ran up beside him. "So where are we off to after Cherrygrove City?" she asked, shielding her eyes from the pouring rain. "Are we going to go straight to Violet City?"

The young boy hung his head in frustration. "I told you, I'm _not _traveling with you," he sighed.

The girl ignored him. "Okay, so we'll just stop by at the Berry Man's house along the way then," she concluded happily. "Great! I'll race you to the city!"

She sped off ahead and the city soon loomed into her vision. The dark-haired teen bit his lip and ran off after her. _Am I really going to have to go on a journey with her? _He thought bitterly.

Marina was waiting for Kenta at the gates of Cherrygrove City. The city itself was beautiful and cute, pink flowers bloomed all over the place. If it hadn't been for all of the mud, the girl would have gone and picked some.

When the dark-haired boy saw her, he glared and found shelter underneath the roof of a small hut. Marina followed him and began her chattering again.

"I'm so happy we made it!" she said gleefully, holding her hands together happily. "I would never have expected to make it in this kind of weather!"

Kenta sighed and leaned against the brick wall. "Why didn't you just stay at New Bark Town?" he asked wearily. "You already have a wound from that lightning bolt. It could've been dangerous . . ."

Marina smiled innocently. "If we're going on a journey together, you can't just leave me behind," she told him. "Well, you _did _leave me behind, but I felt it was my responsibility to follow you. So I did, and I'm happy for it."

The dark-haired boy shook his head and headed towards the Pokemon Center. He ducked and ran as fast as he could. The cyan-haired girl followed him and they both entered when the automatic doors slid open.

When they got inside, the two shook themselves off and tried to dry their clothes as well as they could. They found a table and sat down.

"I guess nothing I say is going to change anything now, is it?" he groaned, resting his head the granite which made up the table. "You're going to come along . . . No matter what . . ."

"Right. This'll be so exciting, Kenta!" the female teen replied eagerly. "It'll be our greatest adventure ever!"

"Yeah, whatever . . ." The boy buried his face in his hands and Marina looked at him with concern.

"Hey . . . Kenta?" she asked anxiously. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine . . ." the boy answered. "Must've been that rain . . ."

"Hold on. I'll get some hot chocolate and sandwiches, okay? Be right back." The girl stood up and walked over to the front desk where the local Nurse Joy stood. She had her orange hair done in two loops that hung above her shoulders and was wearing a classic white nurse hat on her head. A white apron covered her pink dress and she wore white slippers. Her bright green eyes sparkled in a welcome way.

"Excuse me," Marina began politely. "May I please have two mugs of hot chocolate and a plate of sandwiches?"

"Of course," the nurse replied cheerfully, stooping down to get the food. When she stood up, she was holding a tray with the hot chocolate and sandwiches. "Would you like a room for tonight?"

"Um, sure," the cyan-haired girl answered hesitantly, wondering what Kenta would think of it.

"Alright, then," Joy said, reaching for a key. She handed it to Marina along with the tray. "Have a good rest."

"You too." Marina walked towards the table where Kenta still sat with his face in his hands. She shook him.

"Yo, Kenta!" she said happily, putting down the tray. "Food's ready! C'mon, eat up!"

The dark-haired boy looked up and hesitantly took a sandwich. "You got us a room for tonight, didn't you?" he sighed, taking a bite.

Marina took a mug of hot chocolate and sipped it. "Yep," she replied with a smile. "After all, we wouldn't want to be sleeping in the rain, would we?"

"There are two beds, right?" the boy asked anxiously, eating his sandwich faster.

The cyan-haired girl raised an eyebrow. "Of course!" she exclaimed, taking a sandwich. "Why wouldn't there be?"

Kenta sighed in relief. "Okay . . . That's good . . ."

The girl shrugged. "Anyway, I'm letting out Chikorita. She must be hungry by now." She stood up and reached for a Poke Ball in her pocket.

Kenta rolled his eyes. "Are you sure it's a "she"?" he mumbled, reaching for his own Poke Ball. "Wasn't it an "it"?"

Marina made a face. "Pokemon have genders, too!" she protested, gently tossing Chikorita's Poke Ball.

The small, cute Grass Pokemon popped out a chirped cheerfully. "Chika!"

Its trainer smiled and picked it up. She set it on the table and went to order some Pokemon food. "Be right back, Chikorita! Look out for her, okay, Kenta?"

"Sure . . ." Kenta tossed Cyndaquil's Poke Ball and the mouse Pokemon appeared.

"Cyndaquil!"

"Alright, buddy, get up here," the dark-haired boy said, showing hints of a smile. "Marina's gonna be back in a bit with Pokemon food, so wait just a little, okay?"

Cyndaquil nodded and eyed Chikorita. It squeaked happily at the sight of its friend and the two Pokemon began to play with each other.

This time, Kenta broke into a wide grin.

* * *

Kamon turned his red head back and forth as he peeked through the window of the Elm Pokemon Lab. It was still raining, but not lightning didn't strike anymore. 

_Good for me . . . _he thought. _This'll make things a whole lot easier . . ._

When the two scientists were huddled up in a corner talking, the red-haired boy took his chance. He kicked the window and the sound of glass shattering was heard. The two men jumped up, startled, and Kamon expertly managed his way into the lab. He spotted the last shiny Poke Ball on the gray table, grinned, and grabbed it.

Out of his pocket, he pulled out an Escape Rope he had found on the ground one day. Quickly, he hooked it to a pole near the entrance to the lab and swung his way out.

"Professor Elm! Someone has stolen a Pokemon!" The scientist ran around frantically and rushed to the professor's side. "What should we do?"

Elm looked grim. He hadn't worn such an expression in a long time. "Call the police," he growled. "There has been a thief here."

* * *

Kenta spotted Marina as usual, cheerfully carrying the tray of Pokemon food back to the table. Chikorita and Cyndaquil jumped around with glee at the sight of it. The cyan-haired girl set the tray down on the table and plopped down in her chair. 

"Alright, everyone, dinner time! Chikorita, Cyndaquil, eat up!"

* * *

So how was it? Heh, not too good for something that took that long (meh, haven't really been working on it, LOL) . . . But, whatever. Please R&R! 


End file.
